Embracing Disruptive Coherence

“In these pages Kathleen Talvacchia gives readers a treat: a smart, provocative analysis of how ‘coming out’ for LBGTQ folks is an ongoing process, not a singular event, involving far more than disclosure of identity. As she carefully maps out, coming out is a life-altering practice of ‘coming into’ the kind of community that encourages truth-telling and relational integrity. In her hands, moral wisdom shimmers and shakes in delightful ways.”


—Marvin M. Ellison, Willard S. Bass Professor Emeritus of Christian Ethics at Bangor Theological Seminary, author of Making Love Just: Sexual Ethics for Perplexing Times





“Talvacchia persuasively insists that ‘coming out as an act of disruptive coherence overturns exclusive normativities that enforce and sustain gender and sexual injustice.’ This book challenges and inspires by promoting deep thinking about how queer Christians and others can live authentically and boldly.”


—Traci C. West, Professor of Christian Ethics and African American Studies, Drew Theological School





“Kathleen Talvacchia offers an invaluable new addition to practical theological reflection on the dynamics of identity, difference, and new forms of community. She engages in nuanced reflection on the value of truth-telling, and she also expands our awareness of the multiple truths of identity. The principles explored in this book illuminate an enormous range of ethical questions.”


—Randall Styers, Associate Professor of Religion, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill